Artventory Help and Use Guide

Welcome to the Artventory guide to tracking and managing your artwork collection and clients.
By continuing to use the application, you agree to the terms of service.

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Getting Started

  • An Important Note: Please save any unfinished record entries before letting your computer go to sleep. Your computer’s sleep mode breaks Artventory’s database connection, losing unsaved work and requiring an application restart.
  • The interface: Add and edit your artwork, pricing and collector records using the forms at the top of the screen. Your artwork inventory displays in the table below the forms. The general concept is that all your tools are available on one screen with tools specific to a task close by.
  • Personalization & Data Backup/Restore: Click the Settings & Tools () button in the top right header to personalize Artventory. All fields are optional and this information will be used in other features, such as gallery cards and signature labels.
    • Artist Name – The name you want to appear on gallery cards and signature labels.
    • Studio Name – Optional field for your studio name.
    • Public Email – The email you would like to share with collectors.
    • Public Phone – The phone number you would like to share with collectors.
    • Website / Portfolio – Where collectors can find more information or your other work.
    • Studio Address – Consider city and state only unless you offer studio visits or tours.
    • Studio Logo – You may drag and drop an image or click the area to browse your computer. This will appear at the top of gallery cards.
    • Default Commission (%) – Set to zero (0) if you do not want to set this value.
    • Currency Symbol – This is a free text area and will be prepended to the artwork price shown on gallery cards.
    • Database Backup & Restore: After the personalization section you will find the database Backup and Restore buttons. We recommend downloading a backup database file after making changes to your inventory and keeping at least one previous version.
    • Open On Tablet (beta): This feature is in development. Connect your tablet and PC to the same network then, on your tablet, open the address listed. While your PC is open you will be able to use Artventory on your tablet. The future version will allow you to install on a tablet and sync with your PC.

Adding & Managing Your Records

Adding Artwork, Financials and Collector Information: Simply open each section of forms and fill out the fields. Once you click the Save Record button your entry will appear as the last item in the inventory table.

Artwork Overview Section

The basic information about the artwork:

  • Artwork Title – There is no character limit and this appears on the gallery card and signature label.
  • Year Created – This will appear on the gallery card and signature label.
  • Sales Status – Options include Available, SOLD, On Loan, Artist Owned, and unavailable
  • Current Location – This optional field helps you keep track of your artwork location. Choose from Studio, Gallery, Corporate Loan, Solo Show, Group Show, Art Fair
  • Edition Type – Optional tracking field: Original, Print Run (1 through 5)
  • H:W:D: Artwork dimensions may be enter as just the number or number with units. For example, 16 or 16in. There is no units selection at this time.
  • Reference Image & Drag/Drop Upload: Each record allows you to upload one image, of any size, that will display as a thumbnail in the table. You can drag an image file or web URL directly into the Upload Dropzone, or click the Dropzone to browse and select an image on your computer.
    You may also enter the URL of an image from an online source, such as your online gallery.
    Note that the images are stored locally on your computer and not in the database. When you backup the database, you may also want to save a copy of your images.
  • Materials: This is a free text entry where you may list the materials used in your artwork. This information will appear on the gallery card and signature label.
  • Process Narrative / Story: Connect with your collector by sharing your process and/or story behind the artwork.

Financials & Performance Section

Pricing, your costs and sales information. This information will appear in the sales report.

  • Retail Price ($) – The price you are offering the work. This will appear on the gallery card.
  • Material Cost ($) – Your cost for materials and supplies.
  • Final Sale Price ($) – If different from the Retail Price.
  • Gallery Commission (%) – The percent your gallery charges. This is for record keeping only.
  • Date Sold – For your records only.
  • Sales Venue – A free text entry for your records.

Collector & Lead Information Section

In this area you can keep track of your collectors both when you sell an artwork or to save in a list of prospects. For example, if you enter a name and contact without having entered any artwork information and click the “Save As Collector Lead” button, the record is saved in your Collector Directory but will not show in the inventory table. To see your list of collectors, click the Collector Directory button () above the inventory table to see and manage their information. This feature is still in development. Please report any issues or feature requests using this website’s Contact page.

  • Collector Name: This is a simple text entry. You can enter names in any format, such as “Bret Schwalb” or “Bret & LaTanya Schwalb.”
  • Collector Email: This is plain text. If you need to enter more than one email, separate them with a comma (i.e. bret@5pebblesllc.com, info@5pebblesllc.com).
  • Collector Phone: Just as with email entry, you can enter multiple phone numbers. For example, “847-555-1212 Main, 847-555-2121 Cell”
  • Collector Address: This is a simple text entry. You may also enter multiple addresses as needed.
  • Last Contact Date: Type in the date you last contacted the person or click the calendar icon to choose a date.
  • Collector Category: This is the type of contact. Options include Lead Contact, First-time buyer, Repeat Collector, Gallery Partner, and Interior Designer
  • Preferred Medium / Interests: This is a plain text entry to list your collectors media, style and subject preferences.
  • Cert. of Auth. Status: An optional selection to track your certificates of authenticity if you issue them. Options are Not Issued, Issued, and Delivered
  • Notes: This is a plain text area to keep general notes related to the collector. Consider keeping notes about your recent interactions, commission notes, etc.

Inventory Table Features

  • Sorting: Clicking the Title & Info, Status, Financials, Materials & Media headers will sort your catalog in ascending or descending order by that column.
  • Quick View: Click the Eye icon () on any entry to open an overview containing the artwork’s complete details, collector information, and preview.
  • Editing Records: Click the Edit () icon next to any artwork in the table to open the record for editing. Save changes by clicking Update Record below the form.
  • Deleting Records: Click the Delete () icon in the table and confirm to permanently delete a record. Caution: this cannot be undone!
  • Printables: You have the option to print a gallery card and signature label for each item in your inventory. By clicking the round bulk/single download button (/) in the table header, you may also select and bulk download multiple cards and labels in one PDF.
    • Gallery Card: Click Card () on any record to save a printable display card complete with title, specs, story, pricing, and studio branding.
    • Artwork Label: Click Label () to save a print-ready artwork authentication label featuring dimensions, edition number, and a signature line.
    • Bulk Download (Print): While in bulk download mode, you may select either a set of Gallery Cards or a set of Artwork Labels. At this time you can not “mix and match” cards and labels.
      Once you have selected the items for print, click the Create PDF button in the table header. Cards will print two (2) to a page and labels will print three (3) to a page.
      To clear all selections toggle back to single download mode, then return to bulk download mode.

Report and Sales Features

  • Sales Report PDF (): Generates a printable summary sales report.
  • Collector Directory (): Opens a “modal” window showing your collectors. You can export the list as a spreadsheet () that includes all the information from the Collector & Lead Section. You can also edit () and delete () a collector’s record directly from the table.
  • Bulk Upload (): Allows you to download a template that you can fill out and upload to bulk add records.
  • Export Table (): Gives you the choice of downloading a spreadsheet containing your inventory records or a plain text file for copying your artwork title, story, dimensions and price into your website or documents.

Bugs, Support and Feature Requests

Please report any bugs, ask for support or request features using this website’s Contact form.